The O-Train South Extension, previously known as the Trillium Line, has undergone years of construction to add new stations and routes, and it is finally ready to open for public use on Jan. 6, 2025.
It’s only a few years later than its original target opening of 2022.
At a technical briefing Friday morning, OC Transpo representatives shared the opening date for lines 2 and 4, which now allows the O-Train to extend to Limebank Road and the Ottawa International Airport.
“I hope that, like me, you’re excited and proud of this accomplishment. The opening of Lines 2 and 4 marks a major milestone in this accomplishment,” said Renee Amilcar, general manager of transit services. “This is a testament to the hard work of our teams.”
But it’s been a long journey to get here.
The O-Train first opened in 2001 as a single-track, eight-kilometre track that ran North to South, from Bayview station to Greenboro in South Keys, using diesel multiple-unit trains. It was built as a pilot project to offer an alternative to busy roads and busways.
Five years after the train first opened, city council approved an extension proposal, estimated at about $780 million, that would replace the trains with electric trams and extend the route into the downtown core as well as south-west into Barrhaven and Riverside South.
The project was meant to reach completion in 2009, and the federal and provincial governments had each promised $200 million for the expansion.
When a new council took office in December 2006, the project underwent its fair share of controversy, between councillors who wanted to see the project shut down — which could result in legal repercussions from the companies contracted to build it — or changed, and those who wanted to continue as planned.
In February, the project was cancelled, at a cost of approximately $73 million, the Ottawa Sun reported at the time. CBC News reported that, in 2008, lawsuits against the City of Ottawa over its cancelled light rail system totalled $36.7 million.
Since then, the O-Train system has frequently been the subject of controversy and discussion, both within City Hall and out, as the city has debated how to expand the rail, where to, and when.
The next step in developing Ottawa’s light-rail system came in 2012, when council unanimously approved the Confederation Line, an east-to-west light-rail train (LRT) running from Blair station in the east end of the city to Tunney’s Pasture in the west. The LRT includes three underground stops in the downtown core, but otherwise runs on existing transitway infrastructure.
It began service in 2019 and satisfies the east-to-west transit demands. It’s currently being extended in both directions, but has not been without its own controversy, namely due to technical issues with the train when it snows.
Back to the O-Train. The current project, also known as Stage 2 of the O-Train, was approved in 2013 with the goal of adding 44 kilometres of light rail and 24 stations in addition to the Confederation Line.
In 2014, it was renamed the Trillium Line, likely to distinguish it from the Confederation Line, but it is now being referred to as the O-Train South Extension. Council voted in 2019 to approve the $4.66-billion contracts to begin the Stage 2 plan, with the southern extension of the Trillium Line awarded to TransitNext, which is operated by AtkinsRéalis.
This contract came with its own controversy, as AtkinsRéalis, formerly SNC-Lavalin, became wrapped up in political scandal. The global engineering and construction firm, based in Montreal, was the subject of investigation and probation, including investigations and charges by the RCMP and multiple scandals in the Liberal cabinet.
In December 2019, SNC-Lavalin pled guilty to one count of fraud, which settled charges by the RCMP and allowed the company to continue bidding on public contracts. It has since rebranded as AtkinsRéalis.
So, under its new name, AtkinsRéalis was awarded the contract via TransitNEXT and embarked on the project to bring 16 kilometres of new rail, 13 new and updated stations, and 1,800 Park & Ride spaces to the system.
When the Staf 2 Light Rail Transit Project was approved in March 2019, council also approved including a contingency fund of $152.5 million, reflecting approximately 3.3 per cent of the $4.6 billion project budget. In 2022, the overall contingency budget was increased to $177.6 million.
In November 2023, the Stage 2 Contingency Funding report recommended that council approve:
- $42 million for the Stage 2 Rail Construction Program general operational budget 2023 for project oversight costs;
- $110 million for the Stage 2 Contingency Budget in 2023 for major variations, soils management and general contingency;
- $40.8 million increase to the Stage 2 LRT budget to capitalize deferred construction payments initially recognized as lifecycle payments, but that should be classified as capital;
- the refinancing of a Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF) funded project related to for the Stage 2 Project budget in the amount of $1,432,416;
and
- the refinancing of $457 million on Stage 2 LRT from Provincial Gas Tax cash and debt to Development Charge debt and Transit tax debt.
The Line officially closed for construction in 2020 and will open on Jan. 6, OC Transpo and City representatives announced.
In early October, Line 2 began trial running, the final stage of tests, after the lengthy construction process and began running tests for on-time performance. To pass this trial run, the O-Train had to maintain a minimum performance of 98.5 per cent over a 14-day rolling average. It exceeded it, with a rolling average of 99.5 per cent.
Next up, the O-Train underwent a week of scenario testing, after which TransitNEXT submitted a notice of substantial completion, signifying that it had met the terms of its contract.
The City has now secured the certificate of fitness from the Canadian Transportation Agency and railway operating certificate from Transport Canada, as well as a safety assurance certificate from TransitNEXT. The only remaining requirement is a final report and review of that safety certificate by the city’s independent auditor.
The Jan. 6 opening day is part of a phased opening approach, City of Ottawa and OC Transpo staff told media at a technical briefing Friday morning. The Jan. 6 opening date aligns with the first day back to classes for Carleton University students.
“Launching a major system change in winter is not a common practice in the transit industry, as the inclement weather has extra complexity for the O-Train’s team and for customers,” said Renee Amilcar, general manager of transit services.
The system operates trains every 12 minutes with a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour and allows riders to ride from nearly anywhere in the city to the airport, downtown core, or other neighbourhoods using the two lines.
“I hope that, like me, you’re excited and proud of this accomplishment. The opening of Lines 2 and 4 marks a major milestone in this accomplishment,” said Amilcar. “This is a testament to the hard work of our teams.
“But our efforts don’t stop here,” she continued. “As the new lines open to the public, our team will continue to work to ensure the smooth and successful launch of Lines 2 and 4 in the coming years.”
Let’s see what happens, and stay tuned over the next few months as this phased opening takes effect. It remains to be seen, but I don’t imagine this will be the last we hear of this legendary — or notorious, depending on how you look at it — O-Train.
